The ATP circuit is rolling into the 2nd Masters 1000 event of the season, this time on the East Coast of the United States, in Miami. With Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic stepping aside due to injuries, the men's singles draw regained one of its big names. Milos Raonic (5 ATP) has been on a recovery process after he was forced to pull himself out of Delray Beach Open's final. Having spent a month away from the professional circuit, Raonic will return to action in Miami where he was designated the 3rd seed spot.
Raonic shares quarter with Nadal
The Canadian, who reached the quarterfinals last year before losing to Nick Kyrgios, resides in the 3rd quarter, on the bottom half of the draw.
In order to overcome his best result in Miami (quarterfinals), he must produce some of his finest Tennis over the next week or so. He is in the same quarter with Rafael Nadal and they could collide in the quarterfinals. To get there, in Raonic's way stand a pile of other difficult to conquer opponents. Being a top-seed, he received a bye in the first round. He'll make his first steps in the 2nd round either against Viktor Troicki (38 ATP) or Thiago Monteiro (82 ATP). To put together a projection, for the 3rd round, in the Canadian's path could be Kyle Edmund or Mischa Zverev, both being strong opponent with an unpredictable way of dealing with things on the tennis court. Jack Sock could give Raonic a chance for a replay since they could meet in the 4th round.
At Delray Beach Open, Jock put the title in his pocket due to Raonic's withdrawal just before the final match. After that, a match versus Rafael Nadal is likely to take place as the Spaniard is constantly seeking his top form.
Raonic and his chances in 2017
The landscape of men's tennis is quite strange at the time being having Roger Federer in the spotlights.
Raonic ousted Federer in last year's Wimbledon semis at the end of a 5 sets thriller. With no certainties regarding the top players, it might be just the right timing for the Canadian to have a fruitful season. It's been a couple of years since he made his own name in the men;s circuit but a series of injuries kept him away from reaching the best yield he can produce. As he stated on the official ATP website, playing in Miami is the perfect spot to resume his quest. Besides, the outdoor hard suits perfectly for the Canadian, a big guy with a powerful service game.
